Milford Middle hangs on to defeat Laurel in Capital Classic hoops.

Milford Middle School grabbed a big, early lead, then held on to defeat Laurel 39-32 in first round action of the Capital Classic.

Joe Backerjoe.backer@doverpost.com

The Milford Middle School girls' basketball team raced out to a comfortable lead, then held on to defeat Laurel Middle in an opening round game of the 8th Annual Capital Classic.

"We played well at the beginning of the game, and our pressure defense gave them a lot of problems, but we let up a little in the second half," said Milford Coach Tina Beach. "Everybody got to play today and that was a great experience for everyone on the roster," she said.

The Lady Buccaneers got going early thanks to the shooting of Kiarra Brittingham, who also did a good job on the boards. Brittingham was the leading scorer in the game, posting 16 points on the day. She got a lot of help from fellow eighth-grader Jameshai Baker, who scored 8 points for Milford.

In the second half, the Lady Bulldogs mounted a nice come-back in the fourth quarter, but couldn't get close enough to force an overtime session. In fact, Laurel's defense held Milford to only 2 points in the fourth quarter, but that one bucket disrupted the Bulldogs' momentum, and the Bucs held on for the victory.

"We beat a good team today, they are a challenging team, and they made us work for our shots," said Beach.

Rukiya Davis and Destiney Mumford each scored ten points for Laurel.

Milford advances to a winners' bracket game, and Laurel will play a consolation game.